We Know the Real Donald Trump. America Needs Four More Years | Opinion

No President in history has taken a bigger financial hit by occupying the Oval Office than Donald J. Trump.

The cost to him personally, and to his company in general, is astonishing and amounts to hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in lost opportunities both at home and abroad; all of which is down to self-imposed regulation.

And remember, he doesn't even take a salary.

But he does it willingly and happily, because he wants to be the man who gets America back on track. He knows he can make a difference and he knows he can get things done. That's why he gave up his seat in Trump Tower and that's why the people of America put him in the White House.

It was never about personal, financial gain, and the ridiculous allegations of his businesses benefitting from him being president are utter nonsense. The company voluntarily gives up any gain from foreign governments and the company remains in stasis—again voluntarily—while he sits in the White House. The Trump Org will not do any new foreign deals until he leaves office, even though foreign expansion was the backbone of the firm's ten-year strategic plan.

Donald Trump is not your regular politician, everyone knows that. But the level of opprobrium heaped upon him is astonishing despite that personal sacrifice. It bounces off him, of course, because he's a street fighter in the purest sense and brings with him a level of ferocity that the political world just can't fathom.

Terrorism, rocketing illegal immigration, economic conflict with China and others: these are the existential issues that leave America in a perilous position in a very dangerous world. Globalism is under attack on every continent as a consequence, and it's about time that the United States had a president that put the nation first. This is what these times demand and this man has our back.

Few people know how capable he is in these situations, but we do. I have worked alongside him, day in, day out, for more than a dozen years and my co-author, Damian Bates, has known him for over a decade, too, reporting on his business dealings.

I remember well the day I was sitting in the Oval Office and he was berating all those so-called biographers and experts who spent little more than 30 minutes with him and then claimed to know him intimately. I chimed in, half in jest, that maybe I should write a book on him, and he said: "Yeah, I think that's a great idea; you can be my biographer!" And so, The Real Deal was born.

He's intense, he's demanding, but it's all driven by his passion to deliver an end product that people love. And yes, I've been in his firing line once or twice in my career! But his approach is quite simple, really. Early on in my Trump Organization career, after a long, hard day on a construction project, the two of us were walking alone across the site, and he reflected upon a question that he was often asked: "How did you achieve your success?"

He gave a simple response, but it was one that I still think about often. "I look around, I see what people want and I give it to them."

That's the Donald J. Trump mantra: give the people what they want.

Too many politicians think that they know best, that they don't need to listen to the people and acknowledge that things aren't how they should be. President Trump does listen and is prepared to talk about—and tackle—some fairly contentious issues and change his position if need be to make sure the best outcome is achieved. Yes, he's a brawler and is not interested in wrapping the answers in sophisticated language that appeals to the legislators. He's focused on giving you the results you want.

I want a guy who gives me a strong economy, record-low unemployment, and fights for America in the world, not sophisticated vocabulary. Don't you?

He's fighting our corner against China, NATO, Europe, our southern neighbors and their porous borders. How long can we continue to be the world's banker and its peacekeeper? It's time that we concentrated on our own issues, not because we shouldn't play a leading role in the world but because we need to look after our own first and help others next. Some of the global decisions that tie us into trade deals, agreements and protocols were approved decades ago and, in some cases, in the aftermath of the Second World War—time has moved on and we need to focus on our own issues.

So, what is Trump really like? As we show you in the book, he's a genuinely funny guy who cares about his colleagues and is intent on getting the best out of people. He wouldn't even offer me a job until he cleared it with my then-employer that it was okay to do so. Who does that these days? Thankfully, my then-employer had my best interests at heart and he let me go.

That's the measure of the man.

I remember once when a major development project we were involved in got kicked out by politicians, I was shocked. Yes, there was a significant meltdown from head office but then, when the storm had settled, DJT (as we all know him) calmly phoned me and told me to pick myself up, dust myself down, and fight back. Those words of comfort and support were significant and we went on to overturn the decision and get the project built. Never give up, fight on, take each small step at a time and get the job done.

And that's how he gets the job done, that's how he has defied all the odds in business and that's how he became the President of the United States.
Will he stand again? Yes, he will. When Damian and I were in The White House having dinner with him—yes, just the three of us—he told us that he was ready for the battle ahead as he seeks re-election.

People were sure he wouldn't win the first time. Almost everyone underestimated him. Sound familiar? Get ready for the campaign, and get ready for four more years of President Donald J. Trump.

George A. Sorial was Executive Vice President & Counsel to The Trump Organization for over twelve years, working directly alongside Donald J. Trump until his inauguration in January 2017. He then became EVP and Chief Compliance Counsel to the business, reporting directly to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Damian Bates worked as a journalist for nearly thirty years in the United Kingdom. He now runs his own reputation management consultancy, covering strategic communications and public affairs. Together they are authors of The Real Deal: My Decade Fighting Battles and Winning Wars with Trump, out now from Broadside Books.